About

Welcome to Briscoe Bites! What was once a casual food and bev blog has turned into a full-fledged adventure into the world of wine-ing and dining. My name is Stacy Briscoe, the owner and sole contributor of this site.

A bit about me: I’m a Sonoma, California-based award winning wine journalist with 10 years experience writing for and about the wine industry. I’ve held multiple roles over my decade-plus career, including managing editor of Wine Enthusiast magazine, managing editor for Wine Industry Network, assistant editor of Wine Business Monthly and staff writer of Wines & Vines magazine. Flying my freelance flag, you can find her byline in notable publications such as Somm Journal, SevenFifty Daily, Sonoma Magazine, Full Pour, GuildSomm and the SF Chronicle, among many others. I regularly speaks at wine industry events, have completed my WSET Diploma and teach WSET wine education courses at the Napa Valley Wine Academy. I also hold my Bachelor of Arts in English-Language Literature from the University of California Santa Cruz and is often found with a book in hand (and a glass of wine in the other).

Visit the Business section of my site to view my portfolio of published works.

I’ve learned everything I know about wine on the job: researching, interviewing, tasting, traveling, and—of course—writing. And I’m constantly seeking to learn more. I welcome every opportunity and experience the wine and culinary world has to offer and do my best to portray the lessons learned with my words. It wasn’t until 2019 that I began the WSET educational program, which has only enhanced my passion for the subject.

You’ll find some posts I’ve written that highlight my experience navigating through the WSET, using the associated tasting criteria to discuss the wines I reviewed during that time and even include educational posts featuring some of the topics I was learning about. These are intended to be a fun way to help study and guide—not official teaching instructions. (Please read my study disclaimer here.)

As I mentioned, I have my BA in English-Language Literature from UC Santa Cruz as well as a Professional Sequence in Editing Certificate from UC Berkeley. Maybe it’s the book-nerd in me that sips and savors to discover a wine’s story: when I can taste the scenery where the grapes grew, breathe in the character developed from the winemaking process, I truly feel I am reading that story. I have a specific passion for working directly with winemakers—whether a boutique operation out of their garage or an international wine business. Through online and live interviews with winemakers, winery owners, and other industry experts, my aim is to capture a winery’s winemaking philosophy with each review and article.

As seriously as I take my job, I also remember…it’s wine: it’s meant to be enjoyed and invite a sense community. My aim is to keep each article, whether a technical winemaking spotlight or a short tasting review, as fun and informative as possible. Please Contact Me directly if you’re interested in working with me.

Lastly, the food. There aren’t a lot of recipes on the site (and some, due to technical issues have actually disappeared), but there are a few, as well as restaurant and product reviews. I first began cooking and baking for health reasons and to accompany my fitness lifestyle. I found the more I knew about what I was putting in my body the more healthy choices I would make. Researching recipes, experimenting in the kitchen, and playing with different flavor profiles, I learned that I have a very strong palate—which ultimately led to my enthusiasm for wine. So while I may not have a large library of recipes, I will always include recommended food pairings for each wine reviewed.

About the Wine Reviews

Wines reviewed on this website are personal opinions and recommendations. I do not award scores of any kind, instead aiming to enhance my wine tasting skills, remember amazing food and wine pairing experiences, and share good wines with my readers and followers. While I do (sort of) incorporate (some of) the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT) into my wine notes, you’ll find I tend to include additional personal anecdotes and “stacy-isms.” For more information about wine tasting notes and wine reviews, please see my Sample Policy Page.

About Educational Posts

While my posts, study guides, and practice exams are all based on WSET topics, please know these are re-written in my own words that were intended to to help me—and hopefully you—better understand the subject matter. I also often utilized resources (and will cite those sources within the posts) outside of the WSET to help me (and, again, you) understand the subject from different angles. I hope my writing is helpful for all interested in the content of the posts, whether student or not. Please know the educational posts are in no way intended as official WSET study materials. Read the full disclaimer here.

I highly recommend those interested in pursuing the WSET program to seek out a good WSET APP. I, myself, studied through, and now teach at, the Napa Valley Wine Academy in Napa, California. I am happy to answer any questions about my WSET studies or how to engage with me as an instructor at the NVWA. Contact Me.

Thanks for stopping by and cheers!

BriscoeBites officially accepts samples as well as conducts on-site and online interviews. Want to have your wine, winery or tasting room featured? Please visit the Sample Policy page and then Contact Me directly. Cheers!

**Please note: all reviews and opinions published on this website are my own and are not associated with any of my places of business. I will always state when a wine has been sent as a sample for review. Sending samples for review on my personal website in no way guarantees coverage in any other media outlet I may be currently associated with.*